Recognition
by PirateEbony
Summary: Delilah never felt like she belonged on her island. When a catastrophic series of events involving an ex-lover and Jack Sparrow leads her to leave the island with him to live the life of adventure, will there be love? Will they get the Pearl back? post-AW


**CHAPTER ONE: Madness**

The dinghy was about to sink. She saw it from the other end of the beach and stared, wondering what would become of the newcomer; The island she came from was a private one, and they rarely had any visitors, and there was rarely trouble. Mostly, everybody remained undisturbed. But for this random, uninvited guest, surely there was to be some kind of bother? The waves crashed around the little boat wildly before picking it up and throwing it and its occupant forward violently, causing him to land face first in the dirty sand and driftwood, the dinghy becoming splintered matchstick wood. She watched the figure sit up and rub his face, shaking out his long dreadlocks, which stood out against the orange and pink light of the sunset. What an odd looking man.

In all honesty, she was no less strange than the man; On the outside, however, she looked ordinary; Plain, white dress reaching beyond her ankles; Long brown hair that curled in natural ringlets at the ends, and big blue eyes, her only unusual feature, as far as she was concerned. She was from the respected middle class of the island, and her father was some important rank in some confusing system she didn't care to understand. Cocking her head to the side, she watched the figure stand and walk, lumbering with sea legs that indicated he would be much more comfortable on a moving surface. Unfortunately, he was too near to turn away when she realised he was heading towards her.

With a shriek, she backed away. He was pointing a pistol at her suddenly, squinting through the glare of the setting sun: "Animal, vegetable or mineral?" He demanded.

"I... I... I'm just a girl!" She stammered. He frowned and leant in closer, surveying her features. His features, despite their exotic adornment, were handsome; Chocolate brown eyes, dark hair, bound in his dreadlocks as ever, which jangled with beads. He also had prominent cheekbones and tanned skin. Once he had evidently decided that she wasn't lying, he lowered the gun.

"My apologies love. Just don't want any nasty goings-on." He explained. She caught back her breath and drew herself back up to her full height, about two inches shorter than him.

"May I enquire as to your name?" She spoke politely, but curtly.

"Me name be me honour love. I'm known as Captain Jack Sparrow." A vague recognition triggered in her brain. Where and why had she heard that name before?

"My name is Delilah Wilcott. May I also ask what is your business on this island, Captain Sparrow?" The girl, who we now know as Delilah, wasn't entirely ready to trust him.

"Aye. As far as things go, me boat just sunk and I had to make land before I found meself in the Locker." Jack informed her, frankly. "I wouldn't mind asking what a young lady such as yerself is doing on a beach alone when it's about to get dark." Jack hinted.

"I was... Waiting for something. No matter." Delilah sighed, unable to keep the sadness and disappointment out of her voice. Jack seemed to somehow know what the matter was. Delilah would not long begin to feel that Jack understood more about her than your average stranger, but that comes later.

"Didn't the swine turn up? Men are bilge rats, aren't they love?" Delilah stared at him, surprised.

"How did you-?" She began.

"Ah love, too many years of seeing this 'appen not to recognise it a mile off. Now, would there 'appen to be an inn on this fine island?" Delilah took Jack to the inn, just to be polite, and somehow found herself drinking wine whilst he told her various slightly unbelievable stories of his life:

"...An' then I lashed the sea turtles together and made a raft and got off that spit of land what me so called shipmate forced me onto." Jack grinned across at her, taking a swig of rum.

"I see." Delilah said knowingly. Jack looked disappointed.

"Don't ya believe me?" He frowned.

"Well, not really." She admitted. Jack smiled unexpectedly;

"You're a smart lass." He told her approvingly. "What are ye doing on an island like this anyway? It doesn't suit you at all." Delilah looked around the tiny, quiet inn and sighed. It was true, it didn't suit her, and she didn't really enjoy living there because to her it felt like a prison, but she'd at least thought she did a good job of hiding this as nobody had ever brought it into question before.

"I'm sure it does suit me." Delilah insisted, knowing full well it was a lie.

"I doubt that love. You need a bit of adventure in your life." Jack told her, with almost irritating superiority. Delilah sighed.

"There's no way off for a girl like me unless I marry into a family on another island which is exactly like this one. Besides, how do you know all these things about me? I barely know you." She told him.

"I knew a girl just like you once." Jack peered at her owlishly. "Not as pretty of course. Elizabeth 'er name was. Actually, it weren't that long ago when she married off to this little... Whelp.." He lapsed into thought for a moment. "Well. That's enough of me stories. What about you?"

"What do you want to know?" Delilah asked.

"Well, 'ow about this fella? Meet ye on the beach indeed!" Feeling for some reason that she could tell Jack these things, Delilah launched into her story:

"My father is a rich man but he believes in love, so he was always supportive of me and whoever I liked. However, I seem to have made a very foolish mistake in falling in love with a notorious heartbreaker." Delilah informed Jack, who suddenly looked a lot more interested.

"A heartbreaker, eh?" His brown eyes glittered.

"Yes. And so he has been romancing me secretly for many weeks. He often sends me flowers and gifts, which I accept, and we meet up. Sometimes he is there when he says he will be. Other times he is not and there's always some sort of excuse... Some kind of reason why he was not there. And I forgive him because... Because..." Delilah struggled.

"Because you love 'im despite the fact that 'e's a complete bilge rat." Jack finished for her.

"So it would seem." Delilah agreed retiringly.

"Well, I don't know about you, love, but methinks you deserve a better deal than the one you've got 'ere." Jack told her wisely.

"I'd hate to sound arrogant, but you're probably right." Delilah was slightly surprised to heart this come out of her mouth.

"Aye, well. I'm gonna be around town for about a week, til I can get meself off this island. If ye feel like coming with, you're welcome." Jack told her as Delilah left the inn. She smiled at what she now was certain was a pirate she'd heard of. Jack Sparrow. That name was certainly familiar. But as she slipped into bed, she thought that perhaps he wasn't a complete scoundrel. Somehow, this man knew what she thought, and understood the reasons why. Despite the fact he'd pointed a gun into her face this very night, she oddly felt as though she should trust him. However, whether she would leave with him was another matter. The offer was inviting, but was it worth taking up when he could really be any monstrosity later on? And the danger of the sea... That worried her. And if he was such a famous pirate, she could not understand how he'd ended up alone, in a dinghy, crashing onto the beach of this dull, entrapping island.

*

The following morning gave further indication of a storm than the crashing waves had the evening before. Delilah felt that the air was even more stifling than usual in the Caribbean. It was yet to rain, but come midafternoon, it looked as though it would do soon. The sky was blackening quickly.

"Delilah, my darling." His silky voice whispered in her ear from behind. His hand trailed across her cheek, caressing it smoothly.

"Joseph." Her voice was cold and frosty. Delilah turned to glare at the man who'd made her hurt too many times even before they'd admitted to her parents of their relationship. As it was, she was shopping with her minder, the dress-making woman who clothed her in divine materials and made her the elegible young lady she appeared to be on the outside. Her minder was across the market looking at materials for a dress when Joseph Stiller sidled up behind her. He smirked and leant down to kiss her cheek, but Delilah took an angry step back and her ocean blue eyes blazed.

"I think you owe me an explanation." She told him.

"What?" Joseph played dumb, which only made Delilah more furious.

"You made me stand on a beach for two hours and never showed! Anything could have happened to me, Joseph! Any- any pirate or- or anything! Anyone could have tried to hurt me!" Delilah growled.

"Delilah, I'm sorry, my mother was ill-" Joseph began.

"A likely story. I wanted an explanation, not a feeble excuse." Delilah seared.

"You're beginning to be demanding. It's not an attractive feature in a girl."Joseph stared down at her, trying to intimidate her, but of course it didn't work.

"Oh rubbish! What you find attractive may be very different to what someone else thinks, but then you'd never know that because you believe the world revolves around you. Now excuse me, please, some of us have rather important matters to be seeing to." Delilah told him indignantly, trying to get passed him. Unfortunately, he caught her by the arm and pulled her back.

"The ball, next Friday. We are still to announce our romance then?" He enquired.

"On the Devils' name, I'm sure! There is no romance, Joseph." Something powerful in her voice forced him to let her go. Delilah wondered where the decision to be rid of him had come from. Somehow, it related back to Jack Sparrow. Somehow, he'd made her see Joseph for what he was, and give her the courage to deal with her anger and irritation that he'd repeatedly caused only for her to take him back again and again.


End file.
